Cable terminating apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods are shown for holding a plurality of wires of a cable in fixed positions relative to each other for assisting in the termination of the cable with a connector having plurality of contacts possibly of the insulation displacement type.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus for terminating an electrical cable with a connector and methods of performing such a termination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Insulation displacement connection (IDC) cable termination, where the cable contains a plurality of wires, with a connector containing a plurality of terminals, can be difficult to perform, particularly if the cable contains a number of small diameter wires such as the type typically used for telecommunications applications.

[0003] Tools for such termination in the prior art typically are impact tools that require inserting wires one at a time into connector terminals, or terminate a number of wires at once. One wire at a time termination is a time consuming operation, and multiple wire termination may cause operator discomfort, because of the stress imposed by impact on those wires. Moreover, since connectors often break, a field replacement operation is often necessary, complicating the termination efforts.

[0004] Termination may often also require cutting and/or stripping the wires and/or cable. Using prior art tools to perform the cutting may leave less than a flush cut, leaving wire ends exposed which may touch a shielding or electrically conductive member.

[0005] Accordingly, apparatus and methods are needed that improves upon these disadvantages in the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention provides apparatus and methods for positioning a plurality of wires of a cable relative to each other and terminating the cable with a connector. Embodiments comprise a support means with positioning means for positioning wires of the cable in a fixed spaced relationship relative to each other and a guide means for engaging a complementary surface of the connector as it engages the device so as to guide terminals of the connector into electrically contacting relationship with the wires.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of terminating a cable having a plurality of wires with a connector having a plurality of terminals comprising the steps of:

[0008] (i) removing a portion of outer insulation from the cable to expose insulated wires therewithin;

[0009] (ii) positioning the insulated wires by engaging them with positioning means of a support means;

[0010] (iii) aligning the connector with the support means by engagement of guide means of the support means with a complementary surface of the connector;

[0011] (iv) urging the connector further into engagement with the support means and thereby bringing the terminals into contacting relationship with the wires; and

[0012] (v) removing the support means from the cable terminated with the connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0014]FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment.

[0015]FIG. 2 shows a view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0016]FIG. 3 shows a preferred embodiment.

[0017]FIG. 4 shows a view of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

[0018]FIG. 5 shows another view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0019]FIG. 6 shows another view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0020]FIG. 7 shows another view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0021]FIG. 8 shows another view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

[0022]FIG. 9 shows another view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0023]FIG. 10 shows a preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024]FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. A squeezing tool embodiment is shown generally at 110. Also shown is a body 111, comprised of housings 115 and 120. A stripping recess 116 is shown integral to body 111. Contained therein is stripping blade 117, as will be further described below. Measurement scale 122 is also shown, and may be used, inter alia, to determine cable stripping length. Actuation member 130 is seen as well, having associated finger pull 131 and pusher 135.

[0025] Handle 140 is shown in closed position. Handle 140 may also be placed in a locking position, if desired, wherein lug 143 of handle 140 engages in mating relationship with actuation member 130. Lug 144 provides a seating engagement for a cable manager, as is further described below. Cable slot 121 provides a pass through for a cable, as well as mating engagement for a cable boss on a cable manager, as will be further described below.

[0026]FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with housing 115 removed and the mounting of various components within a recess in housing 120. Housing 115 has a similar recess (not shown.) Handle 140, retained on anchor pin 139, is eccentrically connected to one end of pivot arm 145 through pivot pin 146. The other end of pivot arm 145 is in contact with actuation member 130 through pivot pin 147. Stripping blade 117 is also seen, mounted within actuation member 130. Compression spring 128 is retained on shaft 129 and engages at one end a surface on actuation member 130, and at the other end, the bottom of a pocket in housings 115 and 120.

[0027] Turning briefly to FIG. 3, the movement of finger pull 131 (as well as actuation member 130 and pusher 135—see FIG. 1) is seen when handle 140 is raised. The raising of handle 140, and the eccentric movement of pivot arm 145 (shown in FIG. 2) relative to handle 140 about pivot pins 146 and 147 (shown in FIG. 2) results in lateral movement of the finger pull 131 (and associated actuation member 130 and pusher 135—seen in FIG. 1.) The force used in lowering the handle to the tool body during wire insertion (or termination) is generally normal to the axis of the cable to be terminated. Thus, various embodiments translate the generally normal force into a lateral force. Pivot pin 147 stops at the end of a recess (not shown) in housings 115 and 120, and thus stops further lateral movement of the finger pull 131 (as well as the associated actuation member and pusher.) It should be noted in other embodiments the actuation member may be indistinct from any pusher and/or finger pull, a finger pull may be dispensed with entirely, etc.

[0028]FIG. 3 also shows cable 6, cable manager 2, and connector 8 in receiving slot 150. Cable 6 is comprised of a plurality of wires and it is those wires which will be terminated into insulation displacement slots of contacts in connector 8 via cable manager 2, as is further described below. Cable slot 121 in housings 115 and 120 provide for pass through of cable 6. It should be noted that the width of cable slot 121 is, in the preferred embodiments, larger than the diameter of the cable that the apparatus is designed to terminate.

[0029] Turning to FIG. 4, a view of cable manager 2 is seen. Housings 18 and 19 are hingeably interconnected by means of hinge pin 20 passing through aligned holes in pivot pin lugs (e.g. 24) projecting from housings 18 and 19. This allows the cable manager to open to allow positioning of the cable for termination as well as removal of the cable manager after termination. Recess 32 provides a pass through for a cable. Outer wire positioning slots (e.g. 42) and inner wire positioning slots (e.g. 40) provide a space for the wires of the cable to be terminated. Each inner wall positioning slot is aligned with an outer wall slot. The width of the wire positioning slot is, in the preferred embodiments, designed to snugly accommodate a wire including its insulation covering.

[0030] A wire pushing wall (e.g. 44) extends adjacent to each pair of aligned inner and outer slots (e.g. 40 and 42.) Each wire pushing wall includes a U-shaped slot (e.g. 46) which permits a corresponding insulation displacement contact to be to be engaged with the wire to be terminated. Spring pin 33 depends through housing 19 into recess 32 in order to assist in securing the cut off blade. Wire identification recess 64 provides color markings which correspond to the colors of the insulation on the wires to be laced through particular slots, in order to assist an operator. Cutting blades 45 and 47 cut the wires once terminated, as is further described below.

[0031] Turning to FIG. 5, a cable 6 is shown inserted within cable manager 2, which is shown partially open. The outer jacket has been stripped to expose the wires 10 using the measurement scale 122 and stripping blade described above and further described below. Edge a of cable 10 is aligned with shelf 66 of cable manager 2. Ball detent 67 is partially shown. Ball detent 67 engages a recess within cable clamp 11 (not shown here—see FIG. 6) thus assisting in closure of cable manager 2 about a cable to be terminated. Cable boss 68 engages cable slot 121 when cable manager 2 is inserted within tool 110 (shown in FIG. 1) and thus assures proper orientation of the manager and connector within the tool, and also retains the cable manager within the tool during storage and transportation of the tool. In other embodiments, other orientation methods and/or apparatus may be used.

[0032]FIG. 6 shows a view of cable manager 2, without cable, from the side opposite that of FIG. 5. Here ball detent 68 is seen, as is recess 62 for ball detent 68 when the cable manager 2 is closed. Ball detent 68 will snap into recess 62, and thus a secure closure of the cable manager is provided. Other embodiments may use other integral security mechanisms for the cable manager as well. Cutting blades 45 and 47 are shown as well. They may be accessed by this side for replacement in various embodiments, if desired.

[0033] Once the cable 6 is inserted into cable manager 2, the cable manager is closed, with ball detent 68 snapping within recess 62. The cable is clamped in place within the manager. The cable is held by frictional force provided, at least in part, by the operator grasping surface 11 of the cable manager (shown in FIG. 4) which acts as a cable clamp.

[0034]FIG. 7 shows a closed cable manager with the wires of cable 6 spread within the manager and aligned within a pair of inner and outer slots (e.g. 40 and 42.) A wire pushing wall (e.g. 44) and slot (e.g. 46) extends underneath the wire to be terminated. The cable manager is preferably held on surface 12 and opposing surface 13 of the cable manager 2.

[0035]FIG. 8 shows a connector 8 which will be used to terminate cable 6. It should be noted that in various embodiments, various engagement mechanisms, or none, may be used depending upon the connector to be used for termination. The connector 8 to be used to terminate the cable 6 in this embodiment has a mating face 16. Contacts, each with an insulation displacement slot, project from a connection end opposite to that of the mating end. The connector is partially engaged with the wires by pushing the connector's connection end slightly into the cable manager 2.

[0036] Projections on the connector 8 provide a close sliding fit within recesses on cable manager 2 thereby aligning the contacts with contact portions of the wires. A connector and cable manager used in the various embodiments may be complementarily configured so that the connector can only be engaged with the cable manager in one orientation. Alternatively the cable manager can bear a label or other indicator for showing the connector-cable manager orientation.

[0037] The connector and cable manager are then placed in tool 110, as shown in FIG. 3. The cable 6, in this embodiment, includes eight wires. Other embodiments may of course use cables and connectors having differing numbers of wires and contacts. Especially preferred embodiments are preferably adapted to terminate category 5 and/or category 6 cable with a shielded or unshielded connector modular jack.

[0038] The cable manager 2 and connector 8 are then placed in the tool 110 with the pusher 135 in a retracted position. The handle 140 is then squeezed so that the pusher moves laterally and thereby forces the connector 8 fully into engagement with the cable manager 2. The body of squeezing tool 110 provides the opposing force for the terminal insertion into a connector. As this occurs, each wire is pushed further into the appropriate slot in one of the insulation displacement contacts. This process is assisted by the presence of one of the pushing walls 44 that is situated adjacent to the contact portion of each of the wires. Lug 143 acts as a handle stop to provide a means of identification to the operator that the tool has inserted the wires to the maximum depths obtainable with the tool and the connector is installed onto stationary wires. The cutting blades 45 and 47 will also extend into a cutting position and sever the wires. The force used in squeezing the handle to the tool body is generally normal to the axis of the cable to be terminated. Thus, various embodiments translate the generally normal force into a lateral force in order to accomplish termination.

[0039] The handle 140 is released and the cable manager 2 and connector 8 are removed from the squeezing tool 110. The cable manager is removed from the cable 6 by first pulling the connector out of the cable manager. The cable moves through the cable manger as the connector is removed. Next, the housings 18 and 19 are pulled apart, thus snapping ball detent 68 out of recess 62 and rotating the housings about pin 20. Free ends of the wires which have been severed from the remaining portions thereof and which may be retained in the slots of cable manager 2 can be pulled out there from for disposal. Thus, it is possible to use this and other preferred embodiments with only one hand, both to perform the wire insertion into a connector and to cut off any excess wire. The cut off of the wires is accomplished substantially simultaneously by way of the cutting blades of the cable manager. Those blades are reciprocally mounted relative to the cable manager. They are movable within the manager, for example, from a non-cutting position to a cutting position, by means of pressure against the end, as shown for example in FIG. 6. This allows for the blades to slide in the non-cutting position when the wires are placed in the wire position slots, thus allowing better placement of wires.

[0040] As had been described above, the cable may first be stripped of its outer jacket to expose the inner wires, if desired. Measurement of the stripping distance may be accomplished by holding the cable at end 110 a of tool 110, as shown in FIG. 9. The appropriate length is determined by placing the free end of the cable at the desired strip length as indicated by scale 122. The cable is held by the operator at the point adjacent to surface 110 a to mark the length.

[0041] Finger pull 131 is then used to pull actuator 130 towards recess 150, thus moving stripping blade 117 sufficiently clear of recess 116 to insert the cable. The cable is then inserted the appropriate distance into stripping recess 116, e.g., the length the operator had determined as described above. Finger pull 131 is then released and the force imposed by compression spring 128 will apply pressure via blade 117 to the insulation of the cable. The tool 110 is rotated about the cable axis, thus providing a cut to the insulation about the cable. Indicator 118 shows the direction of the minimum and maximum cut. Rotation in the direction of the larger arrow of indicator 118 will cut deeper than rotation in the direction of the smaller area of indicator 118. Finger pull 131 is once again used to pull actuator 130 toward recess 150 thus moving stripping blade 117 sufficiently clear of recess 116 to remove the cable. The cable is then pulled from the recess, and the stripped insulation removed if necessary. The exposed wires are then fed into the cable manager, as is described more fully above.

[0042] It should also be noted that the cable manager may be stored on the tool when not in use. FIG. 10 shows cable manager 2 retained within recess 150 of tool 110. Lug 144 and cable boss 68 assist in retaining the manager securely within the tool.

[0043] A strain relief member and/or metal shield (not shown) may also be applied to the connector after termination. Additionally, a connector may include a dust cover. In use, more than one wire could be inserted into a particular terminal and/or not all terminals may be engaged by a wire.

[0044] The cable manager and/or apparatus of the preferred embodiments may be made of suitable plastic and/or metals and can accordingly be reused.

[0045] The above description and the views and material depicted by the figures are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be, and should not be construed as, limitations on the invention.

[0046] Moreover, certain modifications or alternatives may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon reading of this specification, all of which are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the attached claims. 

We claim:
 1. An apparatus for positioning a plurality of wires of a cable relative to each other and terminating the cable with a connector by connecting the wires to terminals of the connector wherein the apparatus comprises: a support means with positioning means for positioning wires of the cable in a fixed spaced relationship relative to each other; a guide means for engaging a complementary surface of the connector as it engages the device so as to guide terminals of the connector into electrically contacting relationship with the wires; and a squeezing tool comprising means for urging the connector into full engagement with the support means, whereby said squeezing tool uses a squeezing force normal to the axis of said cable in order to urge the connector into full engagement with said support means.
 2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said squeezing tool further comprises a stripping blade means.
 3. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said squeezing tool further comprises a locking means for locking said squeezing tool.
 4. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said apparatus further comprises a storage means for said support means on said squeezing tool.
 5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where said support means further comprises a clamp that retains the cable.
 6. An apparatus as in claim 1 with said clamp being clamped around the cable and secured therein through use of a ball detent means.
 7. A method of terminating a cable having a plurality of wires with a connector having a plurality of terminals comprising the steps of: (i) removing a portion of outer insulation from the cable to expose insulated wires therewithin; (ii) positioning the insulated wires by engaging them with positioning means of a support means; (iii) aligning the connector with the support means by engagement of guide means of the support means with a complementary surface of the connector; (iv) urging the connector further into engagement with the support means and thereby bringing the terminals into contacting relationship with the wires; and, (v) removing the support means from the cable terminated with the connector; whereby step (iv) is accomplished though applying a force normal to the axis of said cable.
 8. A device for terminating wires of a cable comprising: reusable means for positioning said wires relative to each other prior to termination, and comprising at least two housings at least partially movable each to the other in order to install said means for positioning upon said cable prior to termination.
 9. A device as in claim 8 wherein said housings are closed through a ball detent means.
 10. A device as in claim 8 wherein said housings are closed about said cable through a ball detent means.
 11. A device as in claim 8 further comprising means for retaining said cable at least partially through friction between said device and said cable.
 12. A device as in claim 11 wherein said means for retaining is moveable. 